la belle au bois dormant
by champagnechaos
Summary: a heronstairs sleeping beauty au. adapted from the original french story as well as the disney film. rating may increase as content matures.


_Prologue_

 _Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a king and a queen. Their kingdom was lavish, and their subjects lived well, but they bore a grief none could comprehend. Alas, they were childless. Night and day, for years and years, they prayed for a child. They drank waters from the holiest rivers and ate foods from the most sacred temples, and yet, none had been so sympathetic as to bear them a child. Finally, after seemingly endless waiting, a merciful spirit had granted them their wish, a son. There was but one word to describe him, and that was beautiful. He had his mother's bright, midnight blue eyes and soft raven hair. From his father he inherited a princely visage, flawless, golden skin and perfectly curving cheekbones._

 _The christening was a grand affair, and those from lands far and wide were invited, including five wise faeries to be his godmothers. However, in their search for these faeries, the king and queen had neglected one, who lived in a twisting wood beyond the reaches of the castle. Nevertheless, the feast of the faeries continued, and each bestowed a gift upon the beautiful baby._

 _"_ _I shall give bestow upon you the gift of endless beauty," the first faerie said, who valued beauty the most._

 _"_ _I shall bestow upon you the gift of sharp wit," said the second faerie, who valued intelligence above all._

 _"_ _I shall bestow upon you the gift of grace," the third faerie said, who knew the importance of a graceful ruler._

 _"_ _I shall bestow upon you the gift of song," the fourth faerie said, inspired by the lilting voices of the court musicians._

 _However, before the fifth faerie could bestow her gift, the vengeful sixth faerie burst upon the room, his staff raised threateningly. Before anyone could stop him, he cried out, "I shall bestow your child with a curse!" and the words had a powerful effect on the room, the walls suddenly glowing a tarnished silver. The king, the queen, and the good faeries were at a standstill, and the evil faerie continued, "The young prince shall grow to be beautiful and graceful and intelligent beyond compare, but, on the eve of his seventeenth birthday, he shall hear a song, and this song will destroy him, it will pull him into an endless and unbreakable trance, worse than death. This is the greatest torture with which I can punish you."_

 _The faerie left the room with a sweep of her gleaming black robes, and the king and queen sank to the floor in despair. The wise fifth faerie remembered that she had not yet bestowed her gift._

 _"_ _Do not fret, dear Majesties, for I still have a gift to bestow upon your child," she whispered, floating over to the crib in which the child lay. After a beat of silence, she spoke carefully, "Dear child, I cannot undo the horrible spell which this evil faerie has cast upon you, but I can alleviate it. I bestow upon you the gift of a true love's kiss, one which can break this unbreakable trance, but only if the love is unconditional. Dear child, you must be willing to give your life to your true love. You must be willing to go to the ends of the earth for whoever it may be."_

 _And with a sad smile, the wise faeries departed. The king was left with a decision. He could not be so cruel as to deprive his child of music. But it was a necessity. That evening, he decreed that all musicians within the castle be stripped of their instruments. The castle grew steadily somber and quiet, but the king was resolute. And so the little prince grew, showered in books and jewels and song, but never music. Never the resounding tones of grand ivories or the sweeping draw of a bow across a violin. The little prince knew only what his books told him, and slowly he grew more wistful of life outside the castle. But he was confined, forbidden to step foot outside. Until the king and queen left him alone in the castle to regale at a royal wedding across the sea._

a/n: thank you for reading! this is unbeta-ed so all errors are mine. please message if you have any questions :)


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